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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. craft — boats
  4. drill — army training
  5. cell — in biology
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — a practice
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. toast — bread
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cell — a phone
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — in a road
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com